The Covenant Grants

Embodying Witness: Art and Learning in Response to Genocide

Organization: Dance Exchange, Takoma Park, MD

Grant Year: 2006

Project Director: Mr. John Borstel

Type of Grant: Signature

Grant Amount: $250,000 (3 years)

Website: http://danceexchange.org/

Arts and Culture
Informal Education
Social Justice

The grant funded the development of an educational engagement program for Liz Lerman’s Small Dances About Big Ideas. The original production of Small Dances About Big Ideas was developed in partnership with Harvard Law School and Facing History and Ourselves. It was commissioned to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials, and focused on the capacity of the legal system to pass judgment in the aftermath of genocide. By adding the educational engagement component including Facing History and Ourselves’ study guide Totally Unofficial: Raphael Lemkin and the Genocide Convention, the project provided explicit opportunities for audiences to reflect on their role as citizens in a world where atrocities still occur. Educator trainings took place in six cities: New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Burlington, and Ann Arbor. Participants: Participants included audiences of diverse ages and backgrounds, along with educators of middle and high school students. Results/Impact: From 2006-2011, approximately 500 teachers participated in workshops conducted by both the Dance Exchange and Facing History and Ourselves Facing History and Ourselves continues to use the Totally Unofficial: Raphael Lemkin and the Genocide Convention study guide in its regional and national workshops.

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